George Bernard Shaw

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Biography of George Bernard Shaw
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Quote	Categories	Rating	Rate
"The true joy of life [is] being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one … being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown to the scrap heap … being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish clod of ailments and grievances."	Wisdom
"Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will."	Art
"If you can say a thing with one stroke, unanswerably you have style; if not, you are at best a marchande de plaisir; a decorative littérateur, or a musical confectioner, or a painter of fans with cupids and cocottes. Handel had power."	Art
"I hate performers who debase great works of art; I long for their annihilation."	Music
"A drama critic is a man who leaves no turn unstoned."	Art
"Go on writing plays, my boy, One of these days one of these London producers will go into his office and say to his secretary, "Is there a play from Shaw this morning?" and when she says, "No," he will say, "Well, then we'll have to start on the rubbish." And that's your chance, my boy."	Art
"You have to choose (as a voter) between trusting to the natural stability of gold and the natural stability of the honesty and intelligence of the members of the Government. And, with due respect for these gentlemen, I advise you, as long as the Capitalist system lasts, to vote for gold."	Anti-God, Capitalism
"You have set up in New York Harbor a monstrous idol which you call Liberty. The only thing that remains to complete that monument is to put on its pedestal the inscription written by Dante on the gate of hell: "All hope abandon ye who enter here."	Economics, Liberty
"Patriotism is a pernicious, psychopathic form of idiocy."	Fear
"I would like to take you seriously, but to do so would be an affront to your intelligence."	Success, Insults
"Anybody can win, unless there happens to be a second entry."	Success, Insults
"I hope you have lost your good looks, for while they last any fool can adore you, and the adoration of fools is bad for the soul. No, give me a ruined complexion and a lost figure and sixteen chins on a farmyard of Crow's feet and an obvious wig. Then you shall see me coming out strong."	Beauty
"The only way to avoid being miserable is not to have enough leisure to wonder whether you are happy or not."	Happiness
"Why should we take advice on sex from the pope? If he knows anything about it, he shouldn't!"	Sex
"Instruction in sex is as important as instruction in food; yet not only are our adolescents not taught the physiology of sex, but never warned that the strongest sexual attraction may exist between persons so incompatible in tastes and capacities that they could not endure living together for a week much less a lifetime."	Sex
"Virtue is insufficient temptation."	Virtue
"You see things as they are and ask, 'Why?' I dream things as they never were and ask, 'Why not?'"	Success, Imagination
"Everything happens to everybody sooner or later if there is time enough."	Time
"Americans adore me and will go on adoring me until I say something nice about them."	America
"The true joy of life [is] being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one … being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown to the scrap heap … being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish clod of ailments and grievances."	Philosophy
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Browse George Bernard Shaw quotes by category:

America	Anti-God	Anti-Religion
Argument	Art	Baseball
Beauty	Capitalism	Conformity
Debate	Democracy	Economics
Family	Fear	Food
Genius	God	Happiness
History	Imagination	Insults
Liberty	Life	Love
Marriage	Men	Money
Music	Philosophy	Prayer
Quotations	Religion	Science
Sex	Stupidity	Success
Time	Violence	Virtue
Wisdom	Women	Worrying